The present invention relates to the field of communication via the Internet or World Wide Web. More specifically, the present invention relates to web-sites at which a user can fill out electronic data entry forms (web forms) that are then sent to the operator of the web-site or others to convey the user""s comments, orders, responses, questions, etc.
Much has been written about the revolution in communication provided by the Internet and the World Wide Web (the xe2x80x9cwebxe2x80x9d). Using electronic or e-mail, persons connected to the Internet can rapidly and at very little expense exchange messages with each other from virtually anywhere in the world. E-mail is used for personal communications, but is also heavily used for business communications, both within an organization and between different firms.
In addition to the use of e-mail, businesses are also able to communicate over the web with customers and potential customers by providing web-sites that can be browsed at leisure. Web-sites can passively provide customers and potential customers with a wealth of information about a company or firm, in the form of both text and graphics. Additionally, web-sites can allow a user to send electronic messages to the company asking specific questions, making comments and ordering products. Web-sites can also solicit information from and about the user which can then be stored and used by the company.
While web-sites provide tremendous opportunities from companies to interact and communicate with customers and potential customers, the global nature of the web presents language barrier problems. For example, where a company does business throughout or in different parts of the world, that company would desire its web-site to be accessible for communication with customers and potential customers irrespective of the language spoken by those contacts.
In the past, this has generally required that the company set up a separate web-site in each language spoken by the target audience of customers and potential customers. This obviously compounds the company""s expense to have and maintain a presence on the World Wide Web. Moreover, it then becomes more difficult to direct customers and potential customers to the appropriate web-site.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a system and method of providing a single web-site which can interact with users, especially, customers and potential customers, in an appropriate language.
The present invention is directed to a method and system under which a single web-site can interact with users, e.g., customers and potential customers, in an appropriate language. The invention may be embodied in a web-site for soliciting data from remote users in a plurality of languages. The web-site includes a question database containing questions and data entry devices corresponding to a number of data entry forms that might be selected by a user. The text stored in the question database is in a default language. The data entry devices include any of the following: text fields, radio button groups, check box groups and list boxes. The web-site of this embodiment of the invention also includes a language database containing counterpart text for the text in the question database, the counterpart text being in at least one language other than the default language.
A web-site of the present invention may also include a server connected to the Internet or World Wide Web for receiving and transmitting data. This server accesses the question and language databases to prepare a web page for transmission that includes a data entry form requested by a remote user with text in a language specified by that remote user.
A template database is preferably also included to specify the layout and appearance for each of the data entry forms a user may select. The server accesses the template database, along with the question and language databases, to prepare a data entry form requested by a remote user with text in a language specified by that remote user and in a format specified in the template database.
The present invention also encompasses all the methods for assembling and operating a system such as the one described above. For example, the present invention encompasses a method of operating a web-site for soliciting data from remote users in a plurality of languages by providing a question database containing questions and data entry devices corresponding to a number of data entry forms, where the text stored in the question database is in a default language; and providing a language database containing counterparts for the text in the question database in at least one language other than the default language.
The present invention also encompasses the software for operating a web-site for soliciting data from remote users in a plurality of languages. In one embodiment, the software comprises computer-readable instructions which cause a processing unit to (1) access and manage a question database containing questions and data entry devices corresponding to a number of data entry forms, where the text stored in the question database is in a default language; and (2) access and manage a language database containing counterparts for the text in the question database in at least one language other than the default language.
The computer-readable instructions are preferably run on a server connected to the question and language databases and to the Internet or World Wide Web for receiving and transmitting data. The computer-readable instructions cause the server to access the question and language databases to prepare a web page for transmission that includes a data entry form requested by a remote user with text in a language specified by that remote user.